Yorkshire hit by heavy snow: As it happened

1. Yellow and amber alerts for snow in our region have ended
2. Western parts of North, South and West Yorkshire were covered by the more serious alert until 12:00 on Friday
3. Heavy snow closed thousands of schools as well as affecting travel and power
4. Pupils enjoying a day off have taken to slopes to sledge and enjoy themselves
5. There is now a Met Office ice warning which runs into the weekend

Thanks for joining us

Oli Constable

BBC News

Here in Sheffield, the snow has started to melt and the streets that were impassable this morning in the city centre are now almost clear.

Tinak

The amber weather warning for snow stopped at 12:00 GMT, which has been replaced by a yellow weather warning for ice until Sunday morning, the Met Office has said.

Keeley has a more detailed forecast for the next few days here.

David L

A lot of the pictures we're seeing now across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire are those of blue skies and white landscapes after the heavy snow over the last two days.

Ivy

Thanks for joining us for our coverage over the last couple of days.

Andy Hutchinson

Good Samaritan drives patients to hospital amid snow woes

After Yorkshire was covered in a blanket of snow, members of the community have banded together to help each other during the bad weather.

Ste Booth

Ste Booth, from Sheffield, has spent his day helping residents in Frecheville reach hospital and GP appointments, as well as supporting carers in their roles in his 4x4.

He said: “I’ve been to Northern General twice, nipped out for appointments and taken carers around.

"The snow’s about a foot deep so I’ve been wandering around helping.

"Earlier, an ambulance was stuck on the roads too.”

Ice warning as temperatures drop but snow to go - forecast

Keeley Donovan

Weather presenter, BBC Look North

Our main concern now is ice and we do have a warning from the Met Office for widespread icy stretches.

PA Media

So, lots of sunshine today and that will help to melt the snow, but overnight we are looking at hard frosts.

Some Pennine parts and some parts where we've got a big chunk of snow could see temperatures as low as -8C (18F) to -10C (14F), and even further east we could be down at about -4C (25F) or -5C (23F).

On untreated roads and pavements it'll be really icy, treacherous surfaces into Saturday and that is our main concern for the short-term.

It is going to get milder into Sunday, but before that a band of sleet and snow will bring perhaps a fresh few centimetres, or more to higher routes, overnight Saturday into Sunday.

But it'll turn back to rain at lower levels and it will introduce milder air, so through Sunday, it'll mainly be rain.

Pubs and schools closed as rural villages hit

Phil Bodmer

Journalist, BBC Look North

Here in Bingley, they’ve had up to 14cm (5.5in) of snow.

Now the sun is shining and the sky is blue - it’s a beautiful winter’s day.

Phil Bodmer/BBC

The local primary school down in Crossflatts has closed. Chatting to one of the teachers, they told me conditions, as elsewhere, were very difficult last night as this is hilly terrain. So, the decision was taken to not open today.

It looks postcard perfect.

Phil Bodmer/BBC

There's been plenty of snow at one of Yorkshire’s highest pubs, too.

The beer garden at Dick Hudson’s near East Morton at Keighley, is under 13-15cm (5-6in) of snow in places, deeper still where it’s drifted.

Phil Bodmer/BBC

The manager, George, tells me he can’t open yet as he’s the only one who has managed to get into work. He’s hoping to open later when more staff can get here.

Phil Bodmer/BBC

Watch: Snowboarders hit the slopes of Leeds

Why walk when you can... snowboard?

Snowboarders took to the slopes in Hunger Hills in Horsforth today to enjoy the white stuff:

Footage shows someone snowboarding on a Yorkshire hill after heavy snowfall.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service update

It's business as usual for Yorkshire Ambulance Service today, the trust which runs it has said.

They asked people to be extra carfeful today if it was necessary for them to head out.

BBC

A spokesperson for Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust said:

“Our operations are running as normal except for our non-emergency Patient Transport Service in South and West Yorkshire which has reduced to essential and urgent journeys only for patients with appointments such as renal and oncology.

"We are working with our partners and patients to re-book clinic appointments and transport in the coming days.”

Power company 'on full alert' after snow fall

Northern Powergrid continue to work across the region trying to restore electricity to homes and businesses impacted by the severe weather conditions.

There were fault numbers "above business-as-usual" levels while engineers remained "on full alert", a spokesperson said.

PA Media

“The major impact has been seen across our West and South Yorkshire regions," a spokesperson said.

“We have reacted swiftly and have been able to restore power to over 15,000 customers in South Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire already. Sixteen incidents remain outstanding; with 557 customers yet to be connected.

“Our teams are working as swiftly and safely as conditions allow, to restore power as soon as possible."

Police follow footsteps in snow to catch suspected thieves

Two people in Leeds were arrested last night after allegedly trying to run from what was believed to be a stolen car - only for the police to follow their footsteps in the snow to their doorstep.

West Yorkshire Police

West Yorkshire Police said "the cold must have numbed their brains" in the snowy weather.

Officers from the force's dog unit described them as Thursday night's "dumbest criminals".

Tree falls on car after heavy snow

This was the scene one motorist was greeted with this morning as a tree had fallen onto the top of their car in Dronfield, Derbyshire, due to heavy snow.

Oli Constable/BBC

The Dacia was hit by the branch on Quoit Green in the town.

Many side roads across the region are impassable, with main roads being gritted throughout the day.

Oli Constable/BBC

Overnight snow brings treacherous conditions to UK

By Rachel Russell, Sean Seddon and Christy Cooney

BBC News

School closure site working

North Yorkshire County Council says its list of school closures online is working fine.

We reported earlier the page had not updated, but you are able to check it now.

Head there for all the latest updates.

Rugby union games cancelled due to snow

Doncaster Knights' home game with Jersey Reds tomorrow has been postponed because of the weather, the club has just announced:

Disruption on the rails as fallen trees block line

To give you an idea of the issues on the railways today, this photo has been shared by train operator Northern.

Northern

They said a fallen tree led to the line between Shepley and Stocksmoor being blocked.

"We're working with Network Rail to open lines as quickly as possible. Safety is always our priority," a spokesperson said.

Stagecoach buses severely delayed by snow

A lot of bus services are cancelled this morning because of the heavy snow.

Stagecoach has said the following services are affected in South Yorkshire:

Travel South Yorkshire

Rotherham/Doncaster

• 22X - Unable to access Barnsley Bus Station
• 221 - Unable to access Denaby Main and Windhill Housing Estate - using main roads only.
• No other services are currently able to run

Sheffield

• 1 - Starting from market place in Chapeltown, not serving Firth Park, going down Barnsley road but then ending at Olive Grove bus depot before Heeley Bank Road.
• 2 - Starting from Moorfoot in Sheffield but having to miss out Hoyland and Wosborough Village and terminating at Alhambra Roundabout in Barnsley.
• 57 - Running from Moorfoot in Sheffield through to Oughtibridge.
• 86 - Starting from market place in Chapeltown, missing out Bevan Way, missing out Grenoside but still serving ASDA Deerlands Avenue, missing out Foxhill and then ending at Archer Road.
• 88 - Starting from Ecclesfield, not serving Sicey Avenue or Firth Park, using Barnsley road and then running as far as Hunters bar roundabout.
• All other Sheffield services are currently unable to run

Barnsley

• No services are currently able to run

Flights cancelled as snow disruption continues

Some flights set to leave Leeds Bradford Airport have been cancelled because of the disruption caused by heavy snow.

Getty Images

While the airport is open, there have been travel problems.

According to the airport's website, several flights have been either delayed or cancelled since 06:00 this morning, with a flight to Bucharest yesterday yet to take off because of a delay.

Early flights to Krakow, Dublin and Amsterdam have all been cancelled.

People set to travel today are asked to check with their airline before setting off.

Mountain rescue teams help rescue drivers

Mountain rescue teams were out overnight to help drivers who became stuck as heavy snow fell.

HVMRT

In West Yorkshire the Holme Valley team had a crew out helping drivers, working alongside volunteers from the Calder Valley SRT.

Kind snow message from mystery artist to hospital patients

Patients attending appointments at a Sheffield hospital have been left delighted thanks to a mystery messenger and the heavy snowfall.

Joe Dawson

Despite the bad weather, an unknown artist managed to carve out the message “get well soon” alongside a smiley face on the roof of the Royal Hallamshire Hospital car park.

Joe Dawson spotted the writing and said that the message cheered up everyone who saw it.

Sharing the snap on social media, he dubbed the writers "legends".

Van driver stuck in empty car park for hours

Heavy snow in Dronfield saw a van driver stuck in a car park for several hours.

According to the BBC Radio Sheffield's Simon Thake, the driver had been stuck since 03:00 GMT.

A second vehicle arrived later - but almost joined the other vehicle in getting stuck - as you can see from the video below.

The drivers did manage to later get out and the original driver headed off home to Doncaster after a long night.

Vans stuck in snowy car park

Pictures of Yorkshire in the snow

While the snow has brought disruption across Yorkshire overnight, it has also produced some lovely images.

We thought you might like to take a look at a few of them.

PA Media

The picture above shows the Loxley area of Sheffield after the heavy overnight snow.

The one below shows snow covering trees in Leeds.

MICHAEL HENDERSON BBC

This image shows the area around Clapham in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

Bez Beresford

School closure site down

North Yorkshire County Council's school closure website is currently not updating.

Bez Beresford

Parents concerned if their child's school is open or not, should have been alerted by staff.

However, you can also listen to BBC Radio York for the latest information about which schools are shut.